History Fridge / DragonBall

** I think it derives from hyperbol'''a''', not hyperbol'''e''' (you know, all of that stuff with the theory of relativity, time slowing down as you speed up until it reaches an asymptote at the speed of light)...but I like this interpretation.

* More like Fridge Sadness, but the dragon's limitations on resurrections, like how they can't have been dead for more than a year and can't have died of natural causes, are not widely known. Which means that in their history, probably at least one person set out to find the balls to bring back a loved one...but without the Dragon Radar it might have taken years or even decades, and then when they finally summoned the dragon...it was too late.

** Specifically, this ''may'' potentially be justified as tails being a recessive trait in hybrids, and needing to be inherited from both parents; all pure-blooded Saiyans have tail genes, but due to its vestigial nature, it's '''extremely''' rare for a human to have a tail (with less than 30 known cases since 1884). If this is the case, then Gohan inhereted vestigial tail genes from Chi-Chi, which were enough for his Saiyan tail genes to latch onto and develop a tail. As Goten is the only hybrid known to have a tail, and neither Goten, Kid Trunks, nor Pan had/have one (Future Trunks' tail or lack thereof is unknown), him inheriting extremely recessive genes may turn what appears to be a SeriesContinuityError into a case of FridgeBrilliance.

* Biers, the god of destruction, has proven himself to be the most powerful being in the Dragon Ball universe, [[spoiler:with the exception of his mentor]]. Considering how destruction [[EarthShatteringKaboom happens on a daily basis]] and [[DeathIsCheap can be easily repeated]], that isn't surprising.

* Dr. Gero's ability to create killer robots, augmented humans, and bio-android creatures capable of dwarfing a baseline Super Saiyan and pre-''Resurrection ‘F’'' Frieza, at the time thought to be the most powerful beings in the universe, using only basic Earth technology, seems to be preposterous at first. However, it's become a building block to {{foreshadow|ing}} two facts critical to understanding future developments in the ''Dragon Ball'' franchise. First, the power scale in the universe is exponentially leagues beyond what even the Saiyans and Frieza had achieved at the time. Second, the vast technological potential of Dragon World Earth's natural elements, which Bulma and her father already showed with the Dragon Radar, the capsules, and chronologically later on the Time Machine [[spoiler:(which future media confirms is a violation of even ''divine natural law'')]], can even be used to harness some of this same grand power, making the InsignificantLittleBluePlanet far more important than it would appear. [[spoiler:Goku and Vegeta are able to overcome Gero's creations, become strong enough to defeat Kai-killing universal threat Majin Buu, and become {{Physical God}}s capable of giving Beerus the God of Destruction a good fight and even defeating Frieza by attrition when he finally trains and reaches that same level of power. [[labelnote:For reference,]]Beerus and Buu were the two creatures that pre-training Frieza was told by his father to never mess with.[[/labelnote]] Bulma is able to look at a force field that a god-attendant used her powers to create capable of containing the reach of many ultra-powerful fighters including said Physical Gods, and then do a pretty good (albeit imperfect) job of imitating that herself using Earth technology.]]'

* This goes back to the Original Dragon Ball, but Tien quickly learning and then subsequently surviving the Evil Containment Wave. Considering that Tien also knows and has used the Tri Beam Cannon, another techique that uses so much Ki it could possibly kill the person using it, it makes sense that Tien would learn a similarly draining technique fairly quickly and that his body and Ki would be used to using a techique that drains one's life.

* Despite their build-up at the beginning of the Android Saga, Frieza suffers a huge case of BadassDecay, and King Cold ends up being a pushover despite how he was allegedly stronger than Frieza. However, at that point, more than half of Frieza's body was artificial, so Trunks curb-stomping him was less because of his own power and more because Frieza was too crippled to put up the same fight he did on Namek. It was probably also why Frieza's Ki may was weaker than King Cold.

* By the time he was in his Perfect form, Cell was already stronger than any of the Z-Fighters and it took [=SSJ2=] Gohan to take him down; and like Frieza, he's never trained a day in his life. He ''also'' has Frieza genes and thus his potential, combined with potential from the cells inherited from other Z-Fighters. Thought Golden Frieza was powerful? Imagine what Cell could become if he trained for four months. Hell, even if he trained during the nine-day wait for the Cell games(or just decided to call things off so he could reach his potential)? Like with Frieza, the universe is really lucky {{Pride}} is his FatalFlaw.
** Cell has techniques, but not power. He had to gain that by draining people and absorbing androids. Still, a Cell dedicated to training could likely achieve something similar to Frieza's golden form. It may take him longer, probably on a timescale much closer to the Saiyans, but considering unlike the Saiyans and Frieza, Cell can regenerate and multiform, he could shorten the gap a little.

** Going further with this; note how the Son family live by traditional Eastern customs while the Metropolitan characters (who are implied to be inspired by Western civilisation) see family names as quaint and in the case of Bulma and Videl seek to step out of their parent's shadows. Also, note how any character that does have an Eastern influence but no family ties is introduced with less than admirable qualities. Toriyama was essentially writing a Collectivist commentary.

* Piccolo swore to avenge his father's death at the hands of Goku by killing him. In the Saiyan Saga, [[HeroicSacrifice he]] ''[[KillUsBoth did]]''.
** It gets better. Just minutes afterward killing Goku he starts becoming a good guy, shown by training Gohan. As soon as he completes his oath, he starts walking his own path.
** The cherry on top is the WAY he killed Goku; a giant hole through his chest, JUST LIKE Goku did to his father! The Brilliance goes further: He hates and kills Goku because Goku hated and killed his family. Gohan liked him and showed him kindness, so what does Piccolo do? RETURN Gohan's kindness by saving him! Piccolo, being one of the youngest characters intentionally or unintentionally reflects the behavior directed at him back onto those that give it!!
* I'm sure to a lot of people this was obvious but it took me a while to figure out that the whole reason Cell tried so hard to get Gohan to turn into a Super Saiyan 2 was because he had Vegeta's cells, and like Vegeta, he wants to prove that he can beat people while they're at their strongest.
** More likely, it's because he's the literal embodiment of the idea of perfection. The Cell Games are all about showing the Z Fighters that he's the perfect warrior, so he had to dispel any doubt about Gohan.
** Not only is he part Vegeta but part Goku as well. Maybe the Saiyans all have some trait about them that makes them want their enemy at full power when they're defeated.
*** It's stated in canon that ALL Saiyans are tremendous {{Blood Knight}}s. Some take it the sadistic and more common route such as Vegeta, and others are entirely interested in the thrill of the fight such as Goku. Okay, just Goku.
*** Consider the Saiyan from an evolutionary perspective and compare it to human evolution. When humans became predators, they took pride in waging a war on all other competing top predators (which has been successful to different degrees), and are quite proud of killing large dangerous non-humans, like bears. Saiyans don't bother hunting the lesser predators - they are hunters of the TOP predators (ie, people), and take the same joy in wiping out people-level creatures, as human people take in wiping out wolves, bears, and tigers. Humans just don't like being treated the way they treat other species.
* At first, Cell self-destructing seems to be just an act of desperation. Here comes the brilliance; using the move, Cell manages to accomplish the purpose he was built for: killing Goku.
** Actually it can be seen as somewhat ironic (I think I'm using that right) as Cell was the only Android in the entire saga that was NOT built for killing Goku, instead he was only built to achieve perfection.
*** This troper thinks the reason he was meant to become perfect was to help him beat Goku, and Cell just kinda went on his own from there. Even more ironic in that case would be that Cell actually wasn't perfect when he killed Goku since he lost Android 18.
** I think I can solve the confusion here. Dr. Gero states that the reason for creating new androids was to find one capable of killing Goku. Apparently not convinced 17 and 18 could do the job, he creates Cell, who upon perfection can beat Goku. Cell reaches perfection, but the power corrupts his programming, making defeating Goku seem like a trifle. Nevertheless, Cell's tactics do lead to Goku's death. Note this is more FridgeBrilliance for Dr. Gero, not Cell.
*** Cell actually says as much to Trunks, at least in the ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' version, when explaining and deciding that he wants a tournament.
* After Cell's self-destruction and subsequent regeneration, he somehow learned how to use Instant Transmission even though that technique had puzzled him before. How did he suddenly figure out how to use it? The answer is simple: because of Tien's cells! During Tien's fight against Jackie Chun in ''Manga/DragonBall'', he displays his ability to copy and instantly master any technique that he sees, by firing a Kamehameha after only witnessing it once during his match against Yamcha. Because Tien's cells were also used in the creation of Cell, it's very likely that Cell also possesses this ability.
* Goku seems to have a lot of problems with killing in the Saiyan/Namek saga (wanting to let Nappa, Jeice, Recoome, and Burter live and letting Vegeta and trying to let Frieza live). The reason that stopped after the Namek saga was because for the first time that Goku had let someone live (Frieza) it didn't turn them good. Every other villain Goku let live in the past became good so Goku wanting to let everyone live, until Frieza proved mercy doesn't make all bad guys good, is understandable.
** Although in the case of Frieza it was more CruelMercy. Goku thought it would be far more painful and humiliating for an egomaniac like Frieza to go on living, knowing he was beaten by a 'monkey'. Giving Frieza some of his energy to escape Namek, however, was Goku being unable to turn a deaf ear for a plea for help.
** His tendency to spare his enemies goes back to him letting Piccolo Jr. live at the end of ''Dragon Ball.'' It's a dramatic departure from his earlier attitude of killing his enemies without hesitation. What happened in the interim? He lived with God for three years! Kami didn't just make Goku stronger physically, he refined him spiritually.
* Android 16 was a pacifist and GentleGiant. He was also far more obedient than 17 and 18. So why was Doctor Gero so afraid of him? Perhaps he had a really bad experience with an android that had the exact same personality but a few hundred thousand times less fighting power (one from 8 generations ago).
** Actually, it's for a different reason and related to the other 16 one: Android 16 was inspired by Dr. Gero's ''own son.'' He was killed by a bullet as a high-rank soldier in the Red Ribbon army. So when he remade him, he made 16 strong enough to protect himself, but also had his son's personality. This was revealed in a somewhat recent interview.
** No, Gero was afraid of 16 because 16 was good. 16 was obedient to 17 and 18, to an extent, because he thought they were decent people and he only wanted to kill Goku, but he wouldn't do anything for them that did not interest him. When 16 figures out Cell is a no-good bastard, 16 immediately tries to kill Cell and doesn't let anyone stop him. Gero himself is a no-good bastard directly responsible for Cell's existence. 16 would immediately try to kill him. ''Then'' he would have tried to kill Goku. 16 literally puts Cell's death ahead of Goku's.
* This troper thought it was weird at first Gero made cyborgs when he was perfectly capable of making robots, then had a moment of fridge logic: Gero created CELL. To make Cell the most powerful being in the universe Gero needed him to have nigh-infinite energy, but couldn't give him an infinite energy generator because Cell was grown from... cells. 17 and 18 NEEDED to be cyborgs in order for Cell to be able to absorb them since he can't absorb pure machines (shown with 16) I like to think this is correct when 17 himself has an inner monologue pondering the same thing.
** Furthermore, notice the term INFINITE energy. This explains why Cell refers to the state he reaches after absorbing the twins as "''perfection''".
* This troper used to think that Gero saying android 16 was a "horrible defect" was just a fake warning to keep 17 and 18 from re-activating him, as he was perfectly functional. But, then I just realized he ''is'' defective, in Gero's eyes, anyway; he had no motive for destroying Goku like he wanted, and was peaceful and gentle, not the Goku smashin' death machine he wanted him to be. - Tropers/Shadowgirl13Chaos
** Android 16 seems to have an extremely good ability for analyzing his opponents, as observed by his sensing the Kami/Piccolo fusion. This might be why he turned out a "defective" pacifist. With perception comes empathy.
** Not entirely true. I can't speak for the anime, but in the manga at the start of the Cell Games Goku says to 16 something along the lines of "Hey, thanks for fighting alongside us," to which 16 replies "Don't forget, I was created to kill you". YMMV on this, but he may have been implying that once Cell was gone, he was going to kill (or at least fight) Goku.
*** It's mentioned further down the page in response to something unrelated, but ''WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged'' also mentioned valid reasoning for this:
--> '''Android 16:''' [[AC:This "Cell" is comprised of 10.78% of Son Goku's DNA. [[PreAssKickingOneLiner These parameters are acceptable.]]]]
* Broly is missing from both the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZFusionReborn Fusion Reborn]]'' movie and the Super 17 saga of ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' when all the villains escape from hell (despite other movie villains appearing in both situations and Broly being one of the most popular movie villains), it just now occurred to me that at the end of the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBioBroly Bio-Broly]]'' movie Goku and Pikkon got sent to hell to stop Broly from causing trouble...They must have killed him, which would have wiped him out of existence.
** If GT is anything to go by, getting killed in Hell doesn't wipe you out of existence. Goku accidentally killed Frieza and Cell (and no guessing here, they were frozen solid and shattered), and they show up fine in the next episode, tied up and in a cage.
*** And they can both survive being ripped apart anyway.
*** Maybe not killed him permanently then, but did something to ensure when all the other villains escaped Broly was still too stuck to get out.
* Krillin refusing to kill 18. Here I was thinking "what a softy, to think this was the pain in the ass punk kid Goku trained with." then I realized, that's why he's so reluctant to kill someone who, so far, has shown themselves to be little more than a delinquent, not a villain. He knows firsthand people like that can reform.
** He even flat-out states it at the beginning of the Android Saga when explaining to Bulma that they should try to fight the Androids with Vegeta because it gave them a common enemy. Goku made most of his friends like this. At first, people like Oolong, Yamcha, Tien, Yajirobe, Piccolo, Vegeta, and even Krillin were all rivals and enemies against Goku, but when faced with a common goal (i.e. finding the Dragon Balls and defeating a stronger enemy), they became allies and later friends. I think that Krillin was thinking that if they became allies to fight against Cell, she wouldn't need to die.
* This troper used to wonder why Goku was willing to allow Frieza a chance to redeem himself and live, even after killing Krillin, even though when Demon King Piccolo did the same (indirectly, but still), Goku became a berserk BloodKnight who would not stop until Piccolo was absolutely dead. Then I remembered that Goku's utter pureness, he cannot bring himself to kill anyone who has even an ounce of redeemable qualities in them. Even though Frieza was as bad as we see in Z, he still must have been good at some point in his life, even if it was only as an infant, so he does have at least a minuscule amount of good in him. Demon King Piccolo, however, was literally the embodiment of evil, being what was formed when Kami expelled all the bad stuff from his body. He was born of pure evil and Goku was able to sense that. Even though he didn't know Piccolo's backstory, he could sense that there wasn't even the smallest chance at redemption, so he had no choice but to kill him.
** Even more brilliant when you remember what he said about Vegeta episodes earlier, how Vegeta wasn't born bad, but ''made that way''! Goku might be applying this same logic to Frieza and is offering him a chance to redeem himself.
** Alternatively, it's CruelMercy. He was clearly mocking Frieza at the end and essentially told him to hide in a corner of the universe and never come back. Frieza would've spent the rest of his life [[HumiliationConga a shell of his former self]] with the knowledge that he was owned by "[[FantasticRacism a lowly Saiyan.]]" Which, to a Saiyan, would be a FateWorseThanDeath, one that Frieza deserves.
** Better still, it might have been both. Being beaten by a "lowly Saiyan" would be the kind of push that might knock Frieza off his high horse and change him significantly, and would only be a FateWorseThanDeath if he didn't undergo any CharacterDevelopment. If he did eventually redeem himself, his defeat at Goku's hands (and the subsequent energy dosage to make sure he lived) would undoubtedly be the start of that paradigm shift.
*** This would ''also'' explain Goku's desperation to get Gohan to finish Cell later in the series, as he's already made the mistake of wanting an enemy to suffer, only to have that CruelMercy come back to bite him.

* Namekians only needing water to live while both King Piccolo and Piccolo Jr. are shown eating might seem like a retcon, to the point Piccolo is afterward shown simply drinking in the Afterlife. However, conditions on Namek and Earth are noticibly different. Namek have a greenish water that may be filled with microorganisms and alge that Namekians may be surviving off of, and on top of that Namek has at least 1 sun in the sky at all times making photosythesis constantly occurring. Meanwhile, Earth has only 1 sun and there's nights, while the water is blueish so a Namekian may not get everything he needs to survive simply by drinking water. Both King Piccolo and Piccolo Jr. were supplementing their nutritional requirements by eating food, something Piccolo Jr. doesn't need to do when he's dead.

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' a friend of mine pointed out that Goku starts the series wearing an emblem on his outfit, then about midway through the series, he stops wearing it. Neither me nor my friend could figure out why he suddenly stopped wearing it, figuring that maybe the animators just got tired of it. My friend then remarked that it could be symbolic. He started the show as a student of Roshi and King Kai. Then after he became a Super Saiyan, he stopped wearing the symbols because he's now the master.--Sketchpad
** The manga outright states this at least one time, but your friend was still dead-on.
*** You could potentially say a very similar thing about Krillin. Forever living in everyone's shadow: his best friends, the major villains, the monks at the Shaolin temple... he constantly wore some form of uniform right up until the very last battle with Cell. Seven years later free from any major battles and embracing the company of his wife and daughter (and arguably enjoying the protection living with a super powerful Android brings) he learned to loosen up and accept himself. Come the Tournament he discards the Turtle and Shaolin uniforms and instead, for the first time in a major fight, wears an unbranded red T-shirt and track pants.

*** I thought it meant "Slow turtle wave" - Tropers/VoxTheHero
** It's actually "Turtle Destruction Wave"/"Turtle Devastation Wave". - Tropers/{{Saiga}}

* Piccolo swore to avenge his father's death at the hands of Goku by killing him. I just realized [[HeroicSacrifice he]] ''[[KillUsBoth did]]''.

** The cherry on top is the WAY he killed Goku; a giant hole through his chest, JUST LIKE Goku did to his father! The Brilliance goes further: He hates and kills Goku bc Goku hated and killed his family. Gohan liked him and showed him kindness, so what does Piccolo do? RETURN Gohan's kindness by saving him! Piccolo, being one of the youngest characters intentionally or unintentionally reflects the behavior directed at him back onto those that give it!!

* There's something about this franchise, one of the biggest issues with the Dragon Ball universe, one that has the potential to, and has, caused as much pain as Frieza or Cell, '''''[[DesignatedHero Goku]]'''''. Think about it, the man is built up as a neutral figure who only wants a fair fight, but he's willing to not only bring back a feared and powerful emperor to do it, but [[AccompliceByInaction let said emperor run free to take more planets by force.]] He doesn't care who Frieza kills, how many innocents lose their homes or families to his actions, Goku just cares about who he gets to fight. [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality If it doesn't happen in front of him, it doesn't matter.]] He's put people in the line of fire rather than finish it himself, not for some big plan, but for the sake of a fight. It's not a case of valuing all life, it's a case of [[LackOfEmpathy lacking empathy]]. He let people die without a second thought, [[DesignatedHero even when he's supposed to be saving the day]], and even when he's met with people who chew him out for all this, he brushes it off. The universe of Dragon Ball is stuck with a self-absorbed BloodKnight with a low-key [[AGodAmI God Complex]], who doesn't care who dies or suffers from his incompetence, even if it's his own kids or wife, because he can just revive them to make it all better, until he [[AesopAmnesia nearly dooms the world again]], and [[FateWorseThanDeath again]], and [[KarmaHoudini again]]. Made worse by the fact that with his growing powers, [[InvincibleVillain he may be around to do this stuff forever...]]
** The main characters as a whole are just a bunch of idiots looking to fight the strongest opponent, at the expense of how many people get hurt by said opponent. They're told androids from the future will kill them all and make life on their planet hell, and they're more excited about fighting. They're told there's a tournament that can threaten their whole universe if they don't win, and their reactions include one moron initially deciding to let the whole world die, ''including his wife and child'', while another wants to bail out because there's no cash prize. And again, revived a tyrant that can wreck worlds and let him run free with no efforts or intentions to stop him. ''This universe is at the mercy of a bunch of unempathetic idiots constantly battling it out for the Darwin Award.''

* There's something about this franchise, one of the biggest issues with the Dragon Ball universe, one that has the potential to, and has, caused as much pain as Frieza or Cell, '''[[AlmightyIdiot Goku]]'''. Think about it, the man is built up as a neutral figure who only wants a fair fight, but he's willing to not only bring back a feared and powerful emperor to do it, but [[AccompliceByInaction let said emperor run free to take more planets by force.]] He doesn't care who Frieza kills, how many innocents lose their homes or families to his actions, Goku just cares about who he gets to fight. [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality If it doesn't happen in front of him, it doesn't matter.]] He's put people in the line of fire rather than finish it himself, not for some big plan, but for the sake of a fight. It's not a case of valuing all life, it's a case of [[LackOfEmpathy lacking empathy]]. He let people die without a second thought, [[DesignatedHero even when he's supposed to be saving the day]], and even when he's met with people who chew him out for all this, he brushes it off. The universe of Dragon Ball is stuck with a self-absorbed BloodKnight with a low-key [[AGodAmI God Complex]], who doesn't care who dies or suffers from his incompetence, even if it's his own kids or wife, because he can just revive them to make it all better, until he [[AesopAmnesia nearly dooms the world again]], and [[FateWorseThanDeath again]], and [[CycleOfHurting again]]. Made worse by the fact that with his growing powers, [[InvincibleVillain he may be around to do this stuff forever...]]

* The [[WhatAnIdiot/DragonBall What an Idiot]] page goes on and on about the mistake about saving Dende and Hercule and not Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo. However, think about that situation critically. No Dende means no Dragon Balls and no Hercule means no Spirit Bomb or Good Buu's return. And despite all their great power, the kids have flaws that would cause them to fall to Kid Buu. Between Gohan's sadistic tendencies at full power and Gotenks' childish arrogance, they could easily find themselves toying with Kid Buu and giving him enough time to heal back to full strength and kill or even ''[[FromBadToWorse absorb]]'' them due to his PhysicalGod status and HealingFactor that puts '''[[FromASingleCell Cell's]]''' to shame, or worse yet, causing his [[HairTriggerTemper temper]] to flare up and kill everyone out of rage — all things the slightly more composed Super Buu has either successfully or nearly done on ''several occasions''. Meaning, if Goku had saved his family, [[SenselessSacrifice he would have]] [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt doomed the universe]].

* In ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' a friend of mine pointed out that Goku starts the series wearing an emblem on his outfit, then about midway through the series, he stops wearing it. Neither me or my friend could figure out why he suddenly stopped wearing it, figuring that maybe the animators just got tired of it. My friend then remarked that it could be symbolic. He started the show as a student of Roshi and King Kai. Then after he became a Super Saiyan, he stopped wearing the symbols because he's now the master.--Sketchpad

** Actually they are. The movies ''World's Strongest'', ''Anime/TheTreeOfMight'' and ''Lord Slug'' take place in an alternate timeline where Goku arrived in time to save the other fighters from Vegeta and Nappa. Yamcha and the others never died so there was no need to go to Namek.

** Super 17: An android created by Dr Gero (partially in this case) who absorbs another of Gero's androids to become stronger (Cell)

*** King Piccolo was the embodiment of evil who was sealed away long ago, but was released back onto the Earth. In order to defeat him, Goku had to drink Korin's Ultra Divine Water (not to be mistaken for Korin's Sacred Water). King Piccolo was ultimately reincarnated into Piccolo Jr., who would fight Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament. Sound familiar to anyone?

** Going further with this; note how the Son family live by traditional Eastern customs while the Metropolitan characters (who are implied to be inspired by Western civilisation) see family names as quaint and in the case of Bulma and Videl seek to step out of their parent's shadows. Also note how any character that does have an Eastern influence but no family ties is introduced with less than admirable qualities. Toriyama was essentially writing a Collectivist commentary.

* I'm sure to a lot of people this was obvious but it took me a while to figure out that the whole reason Cell tried so hard to get Gohan to turn into a Super Saiyan 2 was because he had Vegeta's cells, and like Vegeta he wants to prove that he can beat people while they're at their strongest.

* Broly is missing from both the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZFusionReborn Fusion Reborn]]'' movie and the Super 17 saga of ''Anime/DragonBallGT'' when all the villains escape from hell (despite other movie villains appearing in both situations and Broly being one of the most popular movie villains), it just now occurred to me that at the end of the ''[[Anime/DragonBallZBioBroly Bio-Broly]]'' movie Goku and Pikkon got sent to hell to stop Broly from causing trouble...They must have killed him, which would have wiped him out from existence.
** If GT is anything to go by, getting killed in hell doesn't wipe you out of existence. Goku accidentally killed Frieza and Cell (and no guessing here, they were frozen solid and shattered), and they show up fine in the next episode, tied up and in a cage.

** He even flat-out states it at the beginning of the Android Saga when explaining to Bulma that they should try to fight the Androids with Vegeta because it gave them a common enemy. Goku made most of his friends like this. At first, people like Oolong, Yamcha, Tien, Yajirobe, Piccolo, Vegeta and even Krillin were all rivals and enemies against Goku, but when faced with a common goal (i.e. finding the Dragon Balls and defeating a stronger enemy), they became allies and later friends. I think that Krillin was thinking that if they became allies to fight against Cell, she wouldn't need to die.

** Alternatively, it's CruelMercy. He was clearly mocking Frieza at the end, and essentially told him to hide in a corner of the universe and never come back. Frieza would've spent the rest of his life [[HumiliationConga a shell of his former self]] with the knowledge that he was owned by "[[FantasticRacism a lowly Saiyan.]]" Which, to a Saiyan, would be a FateWorseThanDeath, one that Frieza deserves.

* Not exactly sure where to put this, but as I was watching ''Dragon Ball Z Kai'' I realized a human and a Saiyan have a fertile offspring, so that means biologically humans and Saiyan are the same species.

** Humans and saiyans are definitely in the same genus then, and this all depends on if you define species as "capable of producing fertile offspring" or "regularly produce fertile offspring".

* Why was Goku the first Saiyan in millennia to reach Super Saiyan? It's stated that the trigger for the Super Saiyan transformation is ''anger''. Specifically, anger over the death of Krillin, his best friend since childhood. Compare to pre HeelFaceTurn Vegeta, who didn't hesitate to kill Nappa despite the fact that he's been Vegeta's constant companion since the Saiyan's extinction. Saiyans were raised from birth to be warriors and conquerers, and a big part of that was having little to no respect for the value of life, be it friend or foe. Goku was probably the first Saiyan in ages to truly care about someone other than himself, and as such was the first in ages to feel genuine anguish when he lost that someone. It's really the ultimate case of BewareTheNiceOnes.

** If Episode of Bardock is considered Canon, then it would make perfect sense why Goku would be the first in a millenia to become a Super Saiyan. [[spoiler: His father was the ''first'' super saiyan. It runs in his blood.]]

*** The reason those two words are similar is because they have a common root, meaning "to go beyond." Concerning hyperbole, the meaning is obvious. Concerning hyperbola, a hyperbola is the intersection between a hollow, infinite cone, and a plane whose slope is greater than the slope of the cone's side.

* So what's this about Frieza saying it would take 5 minutes to blow up Namek, and it really taking umpteen episodes? Well, one could more than likely chalk that up in large part to the fact that by that point in the series, characters had long since been fighting at greater speeds than the human eye could normally track, and Goku and Frieza had started to gain speeds so high not even the already supersonic characters could track their movements. The death ball may well have been taking approximately 5 minutes to destroy Namek, but considering the show had to considerably "slow down" the Goku v. Frieza fight for we humans to see, it didn't translate into as short of a show-time.

*** During Krillin and "Jackie Chun"'s fight during the 21st Budokai Tenkaichi there is a point where the announcer asks the two to reenact what they just did, as it happened too fast for the normal humans to see. Apparently this included some dialog (specifically Rock Paper Scissors) in the middle of it, so the Z-Fighters and villains can conceivably have entire conversations in the blink of an eye.

* I was rereading the character page and noticed that Gohan's SSJ 2 form was listed under DarkMessiah. Gohan, even more than his father, seems to have a very high value for life in general (even animals), which is why, normally he doesn't seem able to outright kill his opponents. But when Cell killed 16 (angering him enough to get into that form), it's likely that, to him, Cell's life had lost all value. And if you're not considered alive to him, tearing you limb from limb won't quite affect him emotionally.

* After the Frieza Saga, the Zenkai ability all Saiyan's possess, to get excessively stronger after suffering a near fatal defeat, seems to vanish completely after all Saiyan's have become Super Saiyans? The beatdown Vegeta received from Android 18 and then being healed later should have been enough to widen the gap, but we had to endure training. The same with Gohan, in the Buu Saga, who was beaten nearly to death by Super Buu w/Gotenks and Dende healed him. Not a single increase. So, I asked a friend of mine, and he decided upon the fact that Zenkai itself is a rudimentary form of Super Saiyan, as it increases power with a certain trigger (near death, healing), Super Saiyan increases it with a certain trigger (anger, desire). Super Saiyan is simply an extreme, conscious version of Zenkai.
** This is even better. Think about how the Saiyan's power suddenly started skyrocketing due to zenkai with boosts going into double digits. This is around the point where the characters' power levels are going from 50,000-180,000 to around the few millions. Vegeta, Gohan and especially Goku (for one got a 33x increase making him strong enough to fight Frieza's 4th form) get their powers boosted past the 7 digit mark. This makes their power levels high enough to bring the Super Saiyan transformation within reach. This suggests that at that point Zenkai is no longer just a healing factor. When there is a potential to ascend to a much higher level of power the '''Zenkai becomes the Saiyan's own Unlock Potential ability''', and it's sole purpose at that point is to awaken enough power to allow a Super Saiyan transformation to happen. After that it again goes back to a healing factor and doesn't provide much significant boost to be noticed.
*** The notable exception to all this? ''Cell''. He may have Saiyan cells and a power level of a Super Saiyan, but he's ''neither'' of these. He can't go Super Saiyan to begin with, so Zenkai boosted his power level dramatically when he survived his own suicide bomb attempt.

** It's likely that the Zenkai just isn't triggered anywhere near as much as it was before, and when it is it just isn't enough to make a significant difference anymore. The amount of times past the Frieza Saga that the Saiyans are beaten down to near death and recover from it are a fraction of what they were during that saga when the ability was introduced. Vegeta is beaten down by 18 then goes off to train with Trunks, then is beaten down by Cell with Trunks following not long after, while Goku's closest brush with death the entire saga is the Heart Virus. Gohan himself never even really gets beated down until he gets blasted by Cell before their beam struggle after recovering from which he had no need to demonstrate increased power, then in his first fight with Majin Buu upon which he goes to train with Supreme Kai. With Cell it's not particularly helpful because his own Zenkai ability cancels it out, while Majin Buu is simply so powerful and keeps getting significantly stronger throughout the saga that despite beating down the Saiyan characters repeatedly it's not enough to catch up with him on it's own. They also don't have a bunch of Sensu Beans floating about to heal injuries from all the time so they have to be a lot more careful not to hurt themselves too much during training.
* It's noted on this wiki that Piccolo acts very differently in his first appearance in the 23d World Martial Arts Tournament then he does in all later appearances. When I re-watched those episodes, I noticed that his mad, card-carrying villain persona is a lot like his father's. The frige brilliance- Piccolo was only three years old at the time of the Tournament, but he has his father's memories. So, at the Tournament, he hadn't really had much life experience, and so acted based on his memories, but by the time he appears later on in "Z", he's had more time to develop his own personality- the stoic JerkWithAHeartOfGold he is for the rest of the series. -{{Tropers/Bergil}}
* So Frieza's organization conquers planets and then sells them to the highest bidder. Maybe this goes without saying, but why exactly does Frieza need money? Up until Goku came along, he was the most powerful being in the known universe, and he clearly wasn't above slaughtering entire races to have his way. What purpose does money serve to a guy so feared and strong that he can demand whatever he wants at anytime he wants?
** First off, you must remember that Frieza did not start the Planet Trade Organization or whatever it's called. He has parents, at least a dad. And if you take the Episode of Bardok into consideration, we have Chilled, his ancestor. They must have established the Organization a long time before Freiza was born. He's just running it to keep it in the family. Plus, he's WickedCultured. The latter is more noticeable in Kai.
* This is probably over thinking things but here goes... The laws of thermodynamics state that energy cannot move from a low energy place to a high energy place unless a greater amount of energy moves from a high place to a low place. Therefore it must take even more energy to focus a Ki blast than there is in the blast itself. (Think of it like the electricity requirement of an air conditioner.) No wonder everyone is constantly overestimating their own attacks. They feel like they should be much stronger than they really are.
** To take that thought further and include Newtons Laws of Motion - it's shown often that Ki attacks exert a force on anyone they hit, pushing them around. The third law of motion states (simply): anyone applying a force experiences an equal force in the opposite direction. To stop themselves flying backwards, they need to apply equal forces both forward and backward - one in the form of the Ki blast, and the other with their general flight ability. Any Ki blast that does not move the user is, ''at best'', only half the users maximum output.

* After first displaying the Kamehameha attack, Roshi explained that it would take a human 50 years of training in order to accomplish the technique, but after seeing the attack only once, Goku was able to perform a much weaker version on his first try. As Dragon Ball Z would later show, Saiyans (and most other alien beings, it would seem) are able to use Ki attacks practically as second nature. So when Goku first used the attack, he was acting on his natural Saiyan instincts, allowing him to perform it with no prior training, unlike everyone else (sans Tien who has some sort of copying ability), who took months or years to be able to use the attack effectively. The human students were practically prodigies, but for Goku it was simple instinct.

* Future!Trunks is normally quite pragmatic in killing his enemies, but takes time to fool around with Frieza and his army before finishing him off. Keep in mind that Trunks has spent nearly his entire life fighting to survive in a world besieged by two Androids he's completely powerless against. Frieza was probably the first enemy Trunks had ever faced that not only was evil enough to warrant killing, but that Trunks KNEW he was stronger than. He was taking out a lifetime of frustrations at feeling powerless on Frieza. He takes out King Cold quickly, possibly because, while we don't see it, King Cold may be able to transform and thus Trunks wanted to kill him before he did so on the offchance that King Cold's higher forms exceeded his.

* At first glance, cosmology in Dragon Ball makes zero sense. Planets have local Gods, Kami, whose only purpose seems to be training warriors and guiding heroic souls into the afterlife. In the afterlife heroic souls can meet with the Kaio of their galaxy for training. There are four Kaio, one for each of the four galaxies, and one Grand Kaio, who overlooks the living realm as a whole. Especially heroic characters can meet with Grand Kaio and spend eternity training with him. This makes no sense. They're dead, what are they training for? There is nothing for them to fight other than other dead heroes. The Kaioshin make things worse, as they do nothing but hang out on their planet. The entire thing seems incredibly inefficient until you remember one fact: Before the afterlife was properly introduced we met Uranai Baba, who revealed that every dead warrior can return to the realm of the living for 24 hours. With that in mind it all makes sense: The role of Gods in the universe is to prepare mortals to defend their own worlds. The Kamis scout their planet for warriors and prepare them for the afterlife, the Kaios train those warriors and when trouble starts up the warriors return to the mortal world and save it. The Kaioshin, who watch over both the living and dead realms, brief the great warriors in the case of a threat to the universe as a whole (as was the case of Majin Buu), not just the living world (which is the jurisdiction of the Kaio).
** Alternatively, access to the world of the Kaio's could be like a warrior's paradise. Note that other characters when they die (Chi-Chi, Bulma, Videl) go to regular old Heaven, while the Z-Fighters go to the world of the Kaio. Hell, Lord Enma even gave Goku that opportunity when he first died. There was also one scene where an ogre tells Goku he's going the wrong way when he heads to the plane to take him to the Grand Kai's world, until he notices Goku still has a body, then he starts gushing about the honor to be around a warrior like him.
*** Also, it follows that since the Kai worlds are for heroes, that the heroes can visit anywhere in the heavenly realm that are below them.
*** Actually, according to Dragon Ball Kai, King Yemma is confused by Goku's request to train with his galaxy's Kai, claiming Goku was a shoe-in for Heaven. This tells me that access to the Kai planets is by request only.
*** "Four galaxies"? Four quadrants of ONE galaxy (a universe consists of millions or billions of galaxies, each with millions of stars). East, West, North and South kai just run ONE galaxy, with a boss above them. Presumably, either Supreme Kai is a boss of all galactic kais, OR there is an as-yet unseen god above THEM. King Yemma is the guy in charge of sorting out people for the Afterlife, similar to Hades or King Minos as portrayed in the Inferno. We know that Beerus is a destruction god, but so far, those are the only jobs we know of so far (beyond Zen'o, who is apparently Boss God of All the Multiverse.)
** Well, Jaco says the universe is made up hundreds of thousands of galaxies, or maybe "countless", depending on Anime or Manga, so yes, that part of cosmology is true, but (east)Kaioshin says that before Majin Buu killed them there were ''five'' Daikaio/Grand Kais. So, going by four quadrant kais answering to one grand kai, that would be one grand kai for each galaxy, five out of...hundreds or thousands and or too many to bother counting. It could be that there are only five populated galaxies, or it could be that East Supreme specifically oversaw five Grand Kais, and assuming that was mirrored there are...twenty populated galaxies out of hundreds of thousands and or too many to bother counting? That's a lot of lifeforms from a human perspective, but celestially speaking most of the Dragon World, or at least universe seven, seems pretty lifeless.

* Raditz wanted to make Gohan into a true saiyan, and the irony is that Gohan did become a true saiyan warrior, far exceeding anything he imagined, but as a protector, not a murderer. He grew up on battlefields, fighting and winning wars even as a child. Likewise, producing a bunch of saiyan-human hybrids was Nappa's idea, to which Vegeta replied that the humans must be exterminated to prevent such a dangerous thing from happening, but Vegeta ultimately winds up carrying out that plan and only thereby effects the revenge against Frieza they both so longed for.

* Biers, god of destruction, has proven himself to be the most powerful being in the Dragon Ball universe, [[spoiler:with the exception of his mentor]]. Considering how destruction [[EarthShatteringKaboom happens on a daily basis]] and [[DeathIsCheap can be easily repeated]], that isn't surprising.

* During the Budokai Tenkaichi, Roshi managed to defeat Goku through a crossed flying kick. As Roshi's body and legs were longer than Goku's, his harm was disminished so he was able to win. Then you think about how impractical it was as an attack: a flying kick is a big move, easy to dodge and counterattack. But Roshi was taking in account Goku's amazing ability to imitate his foe's moves, that he had been using during all the fight. Roshi ''used Goku's instinct against him.'' Genius.

** To be fair, he was only nine in the manga. In the anime he was 11. That's not much better, but two years can give a kid a lot of time to grow.

* With the new reveal that the Kaioshin are the gods of creation who counterpart Beerus, the abilities of the Kaioshin, Kaio and lesser Kami to create objects as seen in the series (Clothes Beam!) suddenly make a lot of sense.

** An even simpler explanation: The third Spirit Bomb used to kill Majin Buu is the first Spirit Bomb actually powerful enough to kill it's target. The first Spirit Bomb used was made to defeat Great Ape Vegeta, who blasted Goku in the middle of gathering it and lost most of the energy it had. The second was made to kill Frieza when Goku couldn't exactly be sure of the extent of his power and had to spend until the last possible second gathering energy, thus it only almost killed Frieza. The inherent flaw in the technique is how long it takes a person to actually gather energy, which only the third Spirit Bomb actually had enough time and with the people of Earth giving up the energy willingly had much much more energy than Goku could've ever collected using the Technique normally. Even then, if it weren't for Goku getting his energy back and becoming Super Saiyan at the time it still would've failed.

** Also, despite the name "super saiyan god", it's not an extension or improvement of the super saiyan form the way 1, 2 and 3 are. Super saiyan used to be something saiyans could do, but was lost to the point it was a legend they were ''trying'' to bring back, Goku being the first in a thousand years. Super saiyan god was something they hadn't done in an even longer amount of time. The fact that it was even called "super saiyan" was just a result of history being corrupted into legend and the legend itself corrupting. This also explains why in the flashback super saiyan god disappears while Goku just powers down, it's possible super saiyan god was literally a created god with a limited lifespan, but the latter day saiyans, having no idea and used to transformations, caused it to manifest in Goku instead, believing that's how it should work. They ''made'' it connect to the super saiyan transformation, and [[AchievementsInIgnorance the corrupted legend became reality]].

* There's a more subtle and likely unintentional parallel between Goku and Frieza by the Buu Saga. Frieza had four forms in total -- his base restricted form, and three more powerful states leading to his true form. Goku eventually became so powerful that the only way to bring it all out was with a whopping three stages of Super Saiyan beyond his base form. In other words, his base too became his "restricted" form. Frieza, as you'll recall, had a fatal flaw in using his full power. As soon as he hit that peak, his ki would begin to take a ''staggering'' nosedive. [[NotSoDifferent Remember what Goku's crux was in going all the way to Super Saiyan 3?]]
** Not to burst the bubble, but Super Saiyan multiplies a Saiyan's existing power, rather than jumping it to a set number.
* Right before he dies on Namek, Vegeta tells Goku he wants Frieza to die by a Saiyan's hand. Guess who does ultimately kill Frieza? Not only a Saiyan but Vegeta's son, Trunks!
** Frieza gets one as well. His DNA is used to create Cell, who in one alternate future kills Trunks, thus bringing the Saiyan race to extinction.
* In early ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', Bulma and Roshi ask Baba if she can see the outcome of the fight against the Saiyans. Specifically, they ask whether the earth is intact one year from now. There was no apparent reason for her not to see the outcome, except for not spoiling the fight, of course. Then this troper realized that, if Roshi and Bulma asked her about this only a month or so before the fight, then the reason she couldn't see the year ahead into the future anymore was because of Cell travelling to the past before that point. Remember that Cell arrived a year before Trunks, and the Frieza saga lasted barely over a month, with only a year's time between then and Trunks arriving. Once time travel becomes involved, Baba can't see the future anymore! Must have hurt her business.
* This troper often wondered why Gohan went Super Saiyan 2 after Cell crushed Android 16's head. Sure, it was sad and all, but Gohan didn't really know 16 very well. But then, it hit me after seeing some video's: That scene was ''exactly'' identical to a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqS559YTX6s nightmare Gohan had in some filler]], were Cell crushed Piccolo's head, one of the people he cares most for, in the same manner. Cell crushing 16's head made him realize how Cell could easily destroy everyone he knew and loved. - Tropers/Shadowgirl13Chaos
** Furthermore, the filler episode early in ''Z'', ''The Strangest Robot'', shows Gohan developing feelings for a robot called C-6, which then sacrifices itself to save him. Not only would Android 16's death remind Gohan of his old friend and the sacrifice it made for him, but the loss of C-6 was the first time Gohan had experienced death and grief, and it happened to be a mechanical being. Thus, Gohan seems to associate much pain with the loss of artificial life that has developed a virtuous, altruistic personality of its own despite its programming. Some may write this off as a coincidence due to the episode being filler but keep in mind that Toriyama was directly involved with the creation of the anime's filler and he made many suggestions and contributed many ideas to filler episodes. - Tropers/EBsessed

* There's something about this franchie, one of the biggest issues with the Dragon Ball universe, one that has the potential to, and has, caused as much pain as Frieza or Cell, '''[[AlmightyIdiot Goku]]'''. Think about it, the man is built up as a neutral figure who only wants a fair fight, but he's willing to not only bring back a feared and powerful emperor to do it, but [[AccompliceByInaction let said emperor run free to take more planets by force.]] He doesn't care who Frieza kills, how many innocents lose their homes or families to his actions, Goku just cares about who he gets to fight. [[ProtagonistCenteredMorality If it doesn't happen in front of him, it doesn't matter.]] He's put people in the line of fire rather than finish it himself, not for some big plan, but for the sake of a fight. It's not a case of valuing all life, it's a case of [[LackOfEmpathy lacking empathy]]. He let people die without a second thought, [[DesignatedHero even when he's supposed to be saving the day]], and even when he's met with people who chew him out for all this, he brushes it off. The universe of Dragon Ball is stuck with a self-absorbed BloodKnight with a low-key [[AGodAmI God Complex]], who doesn't care who dies or suffers from his incompetence, even if it's his own kids or wife, because he can just revive them to make it all better, until he [[AesopAmnesia nearly dooms the world again]], and [[FateWorseThanDeath again]], and [[CycleOfHurting again]]. Made worse by the fact that with his growing powers, [[InvincibleVillain he may be around to do this stuff forever...]]

* When watching the fight between Goku vs. Pikkon, I at one point wondered why, when Goku went Super Saiyan, everyone (apart from King Kai) was surprised to see this, with West Kai outright asking what had happened to him. Then I realized that this was because practically every other Saiyan had been to some degree like Vegeta in their personality, and thus would have most likely been sent to Hell. The only possible exception to this would have been Bardock, and because Bardock was not an incredibly powerful fighter, he would not be "qualified" to participate in the Otherworld Tournament. Therefore, everyone is surprised because most of them have never seen a Saiyan before, and the few who might have seen one have definitely never seen a Super Saiyan. '''Rellevart.'''
** Jossed. Bardock went Super Saiyan in Episode of Bardock. However, it's quite possible that he's just never been in the Otherworld Tournament, and is just kinda chillin' somewhere.
** Even if we take Episode of Bardock as true, he most likely didn't keep his body after he died. In the Dragon World only heroes or people who spent their lives doing good have the privilege of keeping their bodies. Although Bardock risked his life to save the people on the planet he was on, it most likely wasn't enough to balanced all the evil he did while working under Frieza. As Piccolo noted to Vegeta, one good deed doesn't negate a lifetime of evil.

* Given that Beerus is canonically capable of destroying galaxies and that his sun-like energy ball is supposedly his strongest attack, it follows that even if Goku had actually deflected it, he still wouldn't have saved the Earth from the blast radius. (Is it possible that he actually knew this and was trying to absorb it all along?)
* What would've happened if Cell came ''after'' Majin Buu? That means, in addition to having Frieza's cells, he'd have ''Buu's'' as well. Let that thought sit in you for a while.
** Assuming Majin Buu is made of organic matter and not magic bubblegum.
*** From all we've seen of Buu, that prospect is ''even more'' terrifying.
** Buu's incorporated organic beings into his makeup through absorption, so it would be moot.
** There's this video game called ''Videogame/DragonBallFighterz'', that answers this question, and the result is not pretty. Well, it wouldn't have been if said scenario happened immediately after Buu. Luckily for the protagonists, it's well into ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' before it happens.